Andra AP fonden Cuts Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Andra AP fonden decreased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 49.6% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 386,142 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 379,958 shares during the period. Andra AP fonden’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $19,384,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Avanza Fonder AB raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $13,521,000 after purchasing an additional 17,495 shares during the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,184,000 after acquiring an additional 14,862 shares during the last quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.6% during the first quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 713,156 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $35,790,000 after purchasing an additional 31,354 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 41.0% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 2,197,366 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $89,499,000 after purchasing an additional 639,380 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clarity Financial LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 697.0% in the 4th quarter. Clarity Financial LLC now owns 471,127 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $19,189,000 after purchasing an additional 412,018 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VZ has been the topic of several recent research reports. Freedom Capital raised shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their target price on Verizon Communications from $54.50 to $51.50 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.97.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $43.51 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $181.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.61, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $45.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. Verizon Communications’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.02%.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Verizon Communications this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several articles continue to frame Verizon as a long-term value name, highlighting its relatively low valuation and income appeal for investors looking for defensive cash flow. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage commentary also points to bullish expectations for Verizon’s FY2026 earnings, reinforcing the idea that the company may be able to maintain stable profitability. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is being mentioned in broader “stocks to watch” coverage ahead of a busy earnings week, but this is more of a market context story than a company-specific catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Verizon preparing its network for record-setting traffic during the first-ever World Cup halftime show underscores operational readiness, but it is unlikely to materially move the stock on its own. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada cut its price target on Verizon from $48 to $46 while keeping a “sector perform” rating, a sign that analysts see limited upside near term and that may be weighing on shares. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern also remains centered on whether Verizon can fully protect its dividend, suggesting the market is still sensitive to debt and payout sustainability risks. Article Title

Verizon Communications Company Profile

Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE: VZ) is a major U.S.-based telecommunications company that provides a broad range of communications and information services. Its operations span consumer and business markets, with core offerings that include wireless voice and data services, fixed-line broadband and fiber-optic services, and enterprise networking solutions. Verizon is headquartered in New York City and operates a nationwide wireless network that supports consumer subscribers as well as business and government customers.

The company’s consumer products include mobile phone plans, unlimited data services, and Fios, its branded fiber-optic internet, television and voice service for homes and small businesses.